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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Carlo-One" data-source="post: 7846131" data-attributes="member: 7015827">Abandoning the strange mound for the moment, the group moved to the east along the top of the bluff and entered a cul-de-sac, discovering a cave entrance. Velduin's elven ears detected what he thought was a rumbling from the cave, although he wasn't sure of it. Brok-Tul, leaning into the cave entrance to hear better, commented that it sounded like his idiot father snoring. Readying themselves, the party carefully entered the cave, which smelled sulfurous. Jokull took the lead, wrinkling his nose against the smell, and told the others that the sound was getting louder the further in they went. Grunting in frustration, Jokull took another few steps, then turned and yelled at the others to RUN! Immediately obeying Jokull's command, the party headed for the exit, as a large red, scaly head loomed out of the cave's darkness toward them. Brok-Tul magically summoned an angry badger in the hopes of creating a distraction, but Jokull, Brok-Tul and Velduin froze in their tracks, paralyzed by a wave of fear before they could escape from the young adult dragon's reach. Its tread shook the cavern as it approached them, then it opened its mouth and said in Common, "Wait! Don't leave just yet! Are you weregnomes too?" (What the ...? --C)Stupefied by the dragon's question, Brok-Tul and Velduin struggled to provide an answer, while the dragon blithely squished Brok-Tul's summoned badger under a claw. After a short pause, Rahnee, Aerikoth, and Veran cautiously entered the cave, to see what had happened to their comrades. While looking at the dragon in amazement, they also were asked if they were weregnomes. The party denied this (thus breaking the rule that if you are asked if you are a weregnome, you say yes. --R) and Brok-Tul, Jokull, Velduin, Veran, and Rahnee introduced themselves. The dragon poked his snout toward Aerikoth, declaring that he smelled different than the others. (A telling indication that the wizard is, in fact, different from the others. Yet they seem to ignore this, just as they do his other unexplained activities. --R)When Brok-Tul explained that he followed Helm, the god of guardians, the dragon - whose name was Gonzo - declared that his weregnome father had taught him about the gods, and that in addition to being lord of the island, Gonzo worshiped and was a champion of Garl Glittergold, lord of weregnomes. This pronouncement managed to flummox even Veran and left Rahnee gasping for words. Aerikoth took the opportunity to address the dragon in a reptilian-sounding language, which Gonzo exclaimed he recognized as what his mama had spoken. The dragon, however, shamefacedly confessed in Common that he could not speak his mama's language well, it being so long since he had seen her. In response to another phrase in the strange language from Aerikoth, Gonzo cocked his head and asked him to speak in Common, which Aerikoth acknowledged.In response to questions from Aerikoth, Gonzo said that his mama and father had brought him to the island as a wyrmling, maybe fifty years ago. Nobody else had come to the island since she died, but his weregnome father lived with him for a long time before he died. Brok-Tul asked if the group of stones on the bluff was their memorial; Gonzo confirmed that it was his father's burial mound. Aerikoth queried Gonzo how he had lost his parents, deferentially indicating that the party had not previously been aware of Gonzo as the island's ruler. Gonzo, sniffing and with a sad expression on his face, said that he didn't remember much himself. His father had told him that evil men had killed mama, but she had burned them all up, saving Gonzo; her resting place was in the forest.Brok-Tul then asked if he could talk to Gumble, a gnome acquaintance, to see if he knew about these weregnomes Gonzo had mentioned. Gonzo was indifferent, saying that he already knew all about weregnomes, but in an excited tone asked the party if they wanted to see his treasure. Brok-Tul, after a moment's pause, agreed, and Gonzo led the group to the back of the cave, where a few small bags and an old chest lay against the wall. Gonzo preened while the party looked it over, saying that his father had said it was important to have a hoard. Brok-Tul and Veran made appropriately appreciative noises, Brok-Tul saying he had only heard of such things in bards' tales. (The half-orc shows some sensibility, for once. Never tell a dragon their hoard is not up to snuff. --R). Gonzo opened the chest with a claw and, showing his generosity as lord of the island, allowed the party to remove an old, tattered logbook. Jokull and Aerikoth agreed to remain with the attention-starved dragon, while the others left the cave to explore the remaining part of the island while daylight still remained.</blockquote>

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